Riftborn Faction Quest
Beware of Potential Spoilers. |objectiveB_titleb = Strengthen|objectiveB_objectiveb = Construct 11 System Improvements in one System.|objectiveB_rewardb = 50 |objectiveC_titlec = Reach Out|objectiveC_objectivec = 50 points in relations with 2 Minor Civilizations.|objectiveC_rewardc = 80 |image1 = Riftborn.jpg}} Description The universe is utterly unlike our own. Burning orbs of fire, scarred balls of rock hanging in the void, vast realms of nothingness. '' ''Empty, pitiless, terrifying. '' ''Some of the worlds are more than barren, airless rocks. Cloaked in dirt that seems fertile ground for tenacious, foliaged forms, they choke the surface and deny the light. Strange things stalk and shuffle and slither through the undergrowth. '' ''We were fortunate to avoid settling on such a world. Our world, the world we named Vanguard on account of us being the Spearhead, is a white wilderness broken only by still and silent forests, icy brooks, and perpetual grey skies. In its near-ceaseless white embrace, where the sky can sometimes be mistaken for the land, it is reminiscent of the homeland but if you look closer it cannot hide its grotesqueness. Things scurry under the snow, others open dark wings among the shadows; chilly waters crash and shriek against rocks; worst of all bursts of color sometimes burst forth unexpectedly--sunlight on fish scales, winter meadows blooming with flowers, sweeping curtains of green and purple light in the starry night. '' ''No words can do the horror justice. '' ''My forces suffer, but they are resolute. Their suffering is nothing as next to the plague that spreads through the homeland, Coroz. Every message from the Communion speaks of the blight growing, more and more of the world becoming dead and blackened. '' ''There are many paths we might follow to end this nightmare. Even in the little time I have spent in this world, I have begun to form my own ideas for what is best. But I am merely an instrument of the Communion, faithfully relaying the situation here to the best of my ability. They decide. '' ''I await their orders. Objectives Explore Vanguard and its neighboring systems are only one small corner of this universe, and yet they are brimming with mysteries. We would be foolish to expose ourselves to other dangers before we have learnt some of their secrets, and reaped some of their bounties. Explore 5 Curiosities with a Hero of Level 3 of higher. (0/5) Reward: 200 . Explore: Completion Through brave expeditions we have mapped and catalogued Vanguard's horrors, from vast frozen caverns pierced with spears of ice to great floating glaciers that drift through cold, dark seas. With stockpiles of frozen fish, briny seaweeds, haunches of wild anmials--putrid organic matter that goes for sustenance in this hostile universe--we have acquired useful commodities should we encounter other races. We are more certain of ourselves here now, but I, the Grand Viceroy of New Coroz, cannot help thinking that the Communion wasted precious time by ordering us down this path... Strengthen Here, in this universe, we are far from our homeland, our kin, our strength, for now, we are vulnerable to the monsters that lurk out there in the void. We must build a world that will become a fortress. Construct 9 System Improvements in one System. Reward: 50 . Reach Out The situation in Coroz is so bleak that we must put our trust in the other races of this galaxy. Surely they will understand our plight and help us? Reach 50 points in relations with 2 Minor Civilizations. Reward: 80 . Chapter 1. Beachhead - Part 2 Today, one of my patrols made a startling discovery. A curious, pitiful creature was found living in a windswept hovel of a great frozen lake far to the north. This universe, with its ugly forms, its soul-shuddering sounds, its perpetual downwards grasping, is difficult enough to understand at the best of times, but this creature was another level of enigma. With rags for garments, garbled speech, and erratic movements of its slender, serrated limbs, I wondered what possible worth this thing could possess? Over long, painful days, though, I came to appreciate that this creature, Anax-Jink, could be very valuable to us. Although Anax-Jink is a damaged soul, half-mad, half-delusional, its mind driven down dark, rarely traveled paths in its prolonged isolation, I found islands of clarity, even brilliance. Slowly, I learnt its story. It is a member of a race called the Virus. Well, maybe "race" is too generous a word for the smattering of the creatures scattered across the galaxy who loosely share Anax-Jink's biology. The Virus, you see, are escaped viral lab experiments, hyper-evolved by a mysterious substance called Dust. Anax-Jink once lived with others, a commune of Eyder on an abandoned moon, but after it stole a great haul of Dust for research they fell out and Anax-Jink was banished. The Virus tells me the end-times are coming. I struggle to fathom whether its reasoning is genius or deranged, but knowing what I know of the blight destroying Coroz I cannot help but think its words are prophetic. it has the capacity for greatness, I believe. I have forbidden anyone mention Anax-Jink's existence to the Communion back on Coroz. To begin with that was because I needed to know more before I reported back, but too much time has passed for that to be true any longer, and now I must confront the truth. The truth is that the Communion are ill-equipped to lead in this universe. They are remote and out of touch, insulated from the seeping horror of this place. How can they make the right choices when they have no experience of here? They can't. So I, the Grand Viceroy of New Coroz, will decide the fate of Anax-Jink. One day, the Communion will thank me for it. Objectives: Recruit The Virus could become our greatest asset in this hostile universe. A scientific mind without parallel to study the rift. It just needs the right tools, the right environment. I will build it a cutting-edge research facility Completion: Anax-Jink has proved itself a valuable ally of the Riftborn. It is not without it's eccentricities, but there can be no doubt as to it's capabilities. It will help our cause immensely over the difficult times ahead. I hope it is not too late. The Communion must never know it's origin, of course. They wouldn't understand. Chapter 2: A Rebuke from on high (Chapter 1. Beachhead - Part 2, Recruit Anax-Jink) The horrors of this world grow daily. its starry nights and fecund worlds, it's so-called intelligent life born of evolutionary laws that pit every organism as winner or loser--everything horrifies, everything scars. The worst though, living in this artificial shell, is that slowly, but inexorably, I grow immune to it's bleakness. Or perhaps not immune, but numb. I wonder... should Coroz ever be cleansed of the blight would I be able to return? Or am I forever changed? Am I destined to live out my years here in this universe? A moot question, perhaps. News from Coroz suggests no breakthrough in slowing, or even understanding, the blight. Perhaps if the Communion invested more of their energies on investigating the rift and less spying on me, they might've made more progress. Yes they learnt of the existence of the Virus, Anax-Jink, and their reprimand was severe. Keep anything else from us, they said, and you will be stripped of the title of Grand Viceroy and ordered to return to Coroz immediately. They didn't need to say what fate would await me there. I will not be so careless in the future. The Communion wish our efforts to be focused on the rift. The presence of the Virus affords us an opportunity to study it in detail, so that is certainly possible. We already know that some of the rupture in this universe precipitated the emergence of the rift, but we don't know the Details. Anax-Jink will help rectify that. Or, I can focus my efforts on cementing my own authority, being ready for unforeseen events... the construction of a supremely powerful vessel would be a rational choice to fight off our enemies--without or within. What should I do? Objectives: Trade Company Every day we hesitate in our efforts to understand the blight is a day Coroz comes closer to eradication. The Communion might not always know best, but on this matter they are right. Anax-Jink shoCompletion:ad an entire trading system in studying the rift. Completion: '''Every day is a struggle, but my faith in the Virus has paid off. Its eccentric yet profound thinking, allied with the logistics provided by the system's trade company, has driven much greater understanding of the cause of the blight. There was a vessel. The Grey owl. Aboard it carried a Dust arifact of enormous power. Somehow it became unstable, exploded. The rest was inevitable. Worse, Anax-Jink tells me there is no hope of arresting the blight; the plague is a manifestation of the physics of one universe strangling the physics of another. Soon, inevitable, Coroz will be an endless blackened wasteland, devoid of life. My title is Grand Viceroy of New Coroz. If Coroz will be no more, where does my allegiance lie then? Chapter 3: A Test of Loyalty The day has finally arrived. The Communion has given the order for a full evacuation of Coroz. I haven't witnessed it firsthand, but the reports show our once beautiful home rendered into a corrupt wasteland, the population corralled into smaller and smaller zone of safety. Those that venture into the blight, I am told, never return. I feel their plight, I truly do, but I am torn. This universe is no sanctuary. It is a hellish realm of vast voids and burning suns, settled by strange creatures each striving to be the dominant species. To survive any Riftborn must cast off their old ideas, harden themselves, be ready for suffering. I fear most will not survive here. Worse, I fear that their presence might doom us all. The arrival of the Communion is another matter. Are they worldly enough for this universe? Or will they lead us into oblivion? During a battle in some far-flung system whose name escapes me, I once saw a Craver get pinned by a falling comms tower. It's arm must've been crushed, useless. Unable to move, it would've shortly been executed by our approaching forces. What did it do? It severed it's own arm and kept fighting. Perhaps we must do the same. Objectives: '''Evacuate Even if this universe will scar them, even if the evacuation will strain us, I cannot leave my people to the mercy of the blight. But that doesn't mean I need surrender power. Coroz will be evacuated, but the Communion will be incarcerated. Systems need to be prepared... Completion: We are a race of refugees. Billions of souls live enshrined in near limitless virtual realms, ready to be embodied in our quasi-robotic forms to become true Riftborn. As to the Communion, they have been made incarnate and shipped away to an impregnable prison where they lack for nothing except their freedom. Only a handful know their fate. They rail against me, but they are impotent. I will show them this is the right way. Cooperate My allegiance to the Communion must come first. Without unity, without obedience, we are nothing, and not deserving of survival. I will fulfill my duty, no matter the consequences. Coroz will be evacuated, and the Communion respected. We must ensure peace for a smooth transition. Completion: Coroz has been evacuated. Billions of consciousnesses are ready for embodiment. One day I hope they will all make the transition, but for now we manifest them as we need them. As to the Communion, they are the true authority in this universe now, but they have asked me to continue in my role and lead the Riftborn. I don't think they were ready for the assault on the senses-and mind-that embodiment entails. I don't think anyone can be. My burden grows. I wonder what will become of us in this forsaken place. Disobey The blight is a terrible thing, but it is swift in its judgement. This universe, on the other hand, will only prolong their suffering. And it might well cripple our chances of survival. The humane thing to do is to lockdown the rift. We will strengthen our forces. None must leave Coroz. Completion: The rift is under lockdown. Military forces guard the portal with strict instructions to use any means necessary to stop any more leaving Coroz. We already have enough stored consciousnesses to build our race anew. My fleets obey, but there are murmurs of discontent. I don't know if I'm a savior or a murderer. All I know is that this universe is not our home. Perhaps it never will be. Final Chapter: Who are we? (Evacuate) The Riftborn living under my leadership wonder of the fate of the Communion, but they are sensible enough not to directly ask. Rumors spread that I left them in Coroz, or eliminated them during their transit to this universe. The rumors are useful tools for control, and I do little to dispel them. Sometimes I wonder if this universe has changed me too much. Sometimes I wonder if this place of constant conflict and bargaining and deceit has altered the very character of the Riftborn. I often wonder if Survival is enough. The Communion might be hidden from sight, gone in the minds of my people, but that doesn't mean they don't exert their influence. Every day I grant them an audience, and we enjoy lively discussions about the future. With little to do in their gilded cage except absorb news from across the galaxy, they make a circle of most insightful advisors. With Coroz gone, dead and blackened, they have convinced me that we must begin to take steps to resurrect our cosmos in this universe. Only then will we remember who we truly are. The Communion might be dead to all, but that doesn't mean they won't have a legacy. None will know this, of course. None, except me. Objectives: In order to win support for the plan to cast this universe in the image of Coroz, I must raise ecologist thinking across our worlds. Completion: Ecologist thinking is strong across the empire, and the desire to see Coroz made anew is growing. The news that our home is a blackened shell, corrupted and unihabitable, only strengthens feelings. Riftborn researchers make great strides understanding the fundamental nature of matter in this universe, but still struggle to render Corozian artifacts here. One day it will happen though. One day it has to happen. The Communion, forever locked in their impregnable fortress, have come to accept their station. They are the ones I am closest to, the only ones I can speak entirely freely with. Through their collective wisdom, my influence over my citizens has never been greater. Despite the seasons that have passed, I still find this universe an infernal wasteland. But at least it is my infernal wasteland now. Final Chapter. A Poisoned Chalice (Cooperate) This universe still terrifies. The Communion remain happy to let me lead. I think they are all still shell-shocked by the reality of this universe. They don't want the responsibility of command, and I cannot blame them for that. What they know--what we all knew--in Coroz is gone. Tranquility, beauty, truth... all lost to a cosmos that values conflict above all. Perhaps they let me lead because they see that I have changed. I--among all of us that have called this universe home--understand best what we must do to survive. We must strive. We must fight. We must kill. Every day. Every hour. Every second. We have mastered time, and we will use that strength to master the galaxy. Nothing living has emerged from Coroz for days, but that doesn't stop many calling for us to return. I have cautioned against raising hopes that we might return, but the Communion instruct me to organize an exploratory party. I am sure they will find only blackened ruin--that is, if they return to tell the tale--but perhaps that will be the spur that will harden us, inure us to this harsh cosmos. Once more, we traverse the rift. Objectives: Powerful repulsive forces flex across the surface of the rift. Huge quantities of Dust will be needed to overcome them, and that's not even mentioning the cost of the whole enterprise. Completion: The exploration party breached the rift three day-night cycles ago. Seven Riftborn went out Yesterday three returned. One was mind-dead, the second was delirious, and the third, while coherent, was infected by a virulent strain of the blight. All were kept in separate isolation facilities. The first shows no signs of recovery and will likely be deactivated soon. The second killed itself, executing a proliferation script in its core which we were unable to counteract in time. The prognosis for the third looked bleak, but somehow it survived the night. Still focused on its mission, it ignored its own suffering and damage, and relayed to us as much as it could about the party's expedition and the state of Coroz. The short version is that not only is our old home uninhabitable, it is also evolving in dangerous and unpredictable ways. Alive some might say. Return is impossible. We are stranded in this universe. Not without hope though. Not only did the sole survivor bring back much valuable analysis. In its infected state is also brought back secrets of Dust. And with more Dust we might yet win this galaxy. Final Chapter. Backlash - Part 1 (Disobey) Perhaps I should not be surprised. Some have seen my actions as genocide, when the truth is they are a mercy. A vocal but powerful minority stoke the feelings of the masses, encouraging them to move to a full-blown rebellion. They want passage from Coroz re-opened, even if it might cost us everything. These protests are not the Riftborn way. They are another sign that we are losing our identity to this universe. Perhaps that is the only way we will survive though. By forgetting who we were, and embracing this place of chaos and conflict. I don't know. The free exchange of ideas has always been a cornerstone of our way of life, but if I permit these dissenting voices to carry on challenging my authority I fear all might be lost. Compelling evidence has come my way that the ringleaders of this incipient mutiny are meeting for critical talks aboard a secret fleet at the borders of Riftborn space. This might be a perfect time to flatten the rebellion. Objectives: Crush The Riftborn cannot survive if civil war breaks out. The secret fleet must be engaged and destroyed-and its ringleaders captured. One day I want them to understand my actions Completion: The rebellion is over, its leaders incarcerated. Let them call me betrayer, tyrant, murderer. I am at peace. The stench of this universe seeps deep into my shell, but it is a burden I can carry if it means salvation for my race. I was the Grand Viceroy of New Coroz. Now I am the Communion. Alone. Appease Completion: Backlash - Part 2 (Crush) Any lingering dissent is long gone. My inner circle fear me, and they transmit this feeling onto their own subordinates. We are a colder race now, but we are also stronger for it. Our survival in this universe depends on it. The ringleaders of the rebellion remain in an incarceration singularity, their physical forms held aloft in stasis for all to see like flies trapped in amber, while their minds roam time and space. Their example helps keep my grip iron. A strange thing happened with one of the prisoners. Seventeen day-night cycles ago, 534628634's vital parameters spiked. The Custodians brought it out of the singularity, and quickly sent word that I must come. Once stabilized, 534628634 claimed to have a detailed vision of the future. That two cycles hence, a phalanx of Riftborn from Coroz would try to breach the rift, escape into the Endless galaxy. Intense hallucinations are not uncommon when under a singularity, but the visions are always mangled fragments of imagination and reality, giving more insight into the dreamer's mind than any objective reality. Everything 534628634 described came to pass. And thanks to its words we were ready. Since then every one of its premonitions has come true. For its candor, I give it certain comforts the other prisoners are denied. We have an understanding. How long it can endure though, before descending into madness I do not know, but until then I will heed its words. Now it tells me the Riftborn must spread among the stars to stave off calamity. And so that's what I will do. Objectives: To counter unseen threats, both internal and external, the oracle, 534628634 counsels the capture of more systems. Completion: The Riftborn straddle more stars than ever. 534628634 is gone though, the strain of the vision on its mind finally becoming far too great to bear. It is a loss, but 534628634's sacrifice taught me something important/ Every Riftborn can give more. Of course, finding another oracle of 534628634's caliber will be difficult, perhaps impossible, but that doesn't mean more cannot be extracted out of every Riftborn who sheaths themselves in a robotic shell. I will work them harder. And they will not complain because they will understand they are securing their race's survival. No cost is too great for that aim. I will make sure they understand that. And if any forget that lesson I will bring them to the singularity where the other flies are still trapped in the amber, and offer them the chance of becoming my new oracle. Category:Quests